Ohio school board members call for charter probe

COLUMBUS – Several state school board members are calling for an independent investigation of the Ohio Department of Education and state superintendent amid concerns about the handling of charter school evaluations and the creation of a Youngstown schools plan.

In a letter dated Monday to state Superintendent Richard Ross, the seven board members said an investigation is needed to ensure the department and Ross’ credibility and compliance with state laws and rules.

The board members’ letter follows a former state education official’s decision to exclude failing grades for charter schools in evaluations of the schools’ overseers.

David Hansen, the School Choice director for the Education Department, resigned July 18 after confirming that he left F grades for online and dropout recovery schools off evaluations of charter school sponsors. He said he felt the marks would “mask” successes elsewhere.

The evaluations have been retracted.

Hansen’s wife is the former chief of staff to Republican Gov. John Kasich. She recently left the role to work for Kasich’s 2016 presidential campaign.

In their letter, the school board members told Ross he was “a prime suspect” in what occurred with the evaluations.

“Mr. Hansen may have taken the fall, but you were his boss,” they wrote. “Whether by mismanagement, or deliberate instruction to Mr. Hansen, you are culpable as well.”

On Tuesday Gov. John Kasich said the state does not need another investigation into Hansen, saying “I mean, the guy’s gone. He’s gone. . . And hopefully over time, all the fact sets around that will come out.”

Campaigning for his presidential bid in New Hampshire, Kasich called the state Board of Education “extremely partisan” and said a governor should have more freedom from the group.

“It’s polarized and divided, and some people have seen that as a useful way to run through political agendas. I frankly think the whole thing should be changed,” he said. “I don’t like the structure of it. I don’t like the infighting. Frankly, a governor should be able to pick their own head of the Department of Education.”

The State Board of Education is made up of 19 members - 11 who are elected and eight who are appointed by the governor. Kasich said the system of how school board members are picked should be “probably changed.”

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter Tuesday from two board members who signed it — Stephanie Dodd and Roslyn Painter-Goffi.

Other board members on the letter were Pat Bruns, Ann Jacobs, A.J. Wagner, Michael Collins and Mary Rose Oakar. The 19-member board has one vacancy. The seven members who signed the letter were all elected and only one of them — Jacobs — is a Republican.

Kathleen McGervey, who represents Ottawa County on the board, did not sign the letter.

“If we are serious about our credibility, the board, not you, must engage an independent firm to investigate you and the Department of Education” to determine compliance with state and federal laws, rules and procedures, the members wrote.

Asked about the letter, a state Education Department spokesman said officials are working on a comprehensive plan to ensure compliance and accuracy with evaluations.

“Dr. Ross agrees that there are issues that need to be addressed with the system of sponsor evaluation,” said Michael Sponhour, the department’s communication and outreach director, in a written statement. “The state auditor will also be looking at this matter as part of his regular review of our agency and we welcome his review.”

The seven board members also said in their letter that they want a review of the role the superintendent and department had in legislation that puts a CEO in charge of running Youngstown’s city schools.

Under the measure that was signed into law by the governor last month, the state superintendent would appoint three of five members of a new academic distress commission for the district. The commission would then pick a CEO to have full reign of the schools.